Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-12-16

"'Where is she?' asked.
"'She? Whoi'
"Alice! My lovely Alice! Where is
she?
The physician turned to the bystand-
ers, and Struggling his shoulders tapoed
his forehead with one Of his fingers.
'Wretches!' l cried, raising myself
in bed. you know not what you have
done. You have left her alive in the
tomb. l saw her hand move just before
| clasped her to my breast. No power
in the world can hold me back now. +
will open the portal of that tomb or die
in the etfOrtH
THE bystanders looked at the physi-
clan.
1.-The exertiOn may be fatal to Mr..
Benoni. he said. ON the other hand,
this excitement surely will be. Besides,
you tell me that in the tumult attending
his removal from the coffin the lid was
not closed. That can he done, and Mr..
Benoni at the same time become satisfied
that his imagination has PLAYED him
false. 1t may have a wholesome effect
upon him. was added in an UNDERGONE
ITO get in readiness to start, to enter
a carriage, drive through the town and
into the cemetery, occupied barely an
hour. Yet. when we drew up in front
of the tomb, it seemed to me as if years
had elapsed. What wild fancies whirled
through my brain during that dreary
drive-my beautiful Alice rising in her
coffin stretching out her arms into the
awful darkness of the tomb and piteously
calling my name; calling it still as she
gropes her way along the damp walls to
the portal; shrieking with despair as she
finds it closed; tearing her flesh from her
fingers in her frantic efforts to loose the
iron lock and free herself; cropping her
way once more along the damp walls
only to find herself again at the unyield-
ing portal; mad with famine. beating her
head against the cruel iron; in the agony
of insanity tearing out handfuls of her
raven hair: in the last desperation of
madness grasping the lock again and fall
ing with moan lifeless against the por-
tai. Do you wonder that beads of per-
spiratiOn were on my brow when we
reached the tomb? / snatched the large
key from the hand of one of my relatives
who had accompanied me. turned it in
the lock and pushed back the portal. 1t
opened slowly for few inches. Then
something impeded it. Almost frantic, l
called upon those who had come with me
to summon all their strength. With a
great effort we made the portal yield
enough to admit me. | rushed through
the opening. When barely in the tomb
| stumbled and fell. As | fell, clutched
about me, and felt one hand close upon
an arm. The others had followed me-
They dragged me out, my hand still
clutching that arm. What was it they
drew out after me? Alice? Oh horror!
Let me not call that hideous. distorted
vision Of her by that name. Villains.
shrieked as l gazed upon her lacerated,
bleeding form, you are her murderers-
you who dragged me from her side and
closed the portal of this tomb upon
her!'"
Mr. Benoni buried his face in his hands,
and | saw that he was trembling with
excitement DR.. Banks beckoned to
Arundel. The latter approached, and
without further order took a seat beside
the narrator. AS DR.. Banks and l walked
away | asked: Are you not afraid to
leave him with only Arundel to look after
him.
No. Benoni is not raving maniac.
inmates of my asylum, and Arundel is a
trusty keeper"
Has his story no foundation Of fact?
Is it all the offspring of his diseased
mind?"
There is foundation for much of it.
Benoni's wife was beautiful woman
named Alice MowbraA They had known
each other since childhood, and their
union was singularly happy. Three years
after their marriage she died, during the
typhus epidemic here some twenty five
years ago. Her death unsettled his rea-
son. He would not believe that she was
dead. In the tomb he insisted ON being
allowed to see her face again. For fear
of maddening him they complied with
his wish and opened the coffin. 1t was
then his mind gave way. He clasped his
wifes dead form to his breast, and had
to be removed by force. He has been
hopelessly insane since then, his insanity
taking the shape of a fixed idea that
some time after his wife's death, as the
story he told you ran, the tomb was
opened, and it was discovered that she
had been buried alive. l had Just opened
this private asylum, and he was placed
in my charge, and has been here ever
since"
Three years after l had heard Mr..
Benoni's story l received, while l was
travelling abroad, letter from DR..
Banks, announcing the death of his pa
tient. You doubtless remember his
wild tale he wrote. Il have something
to add. Day before yesterday the tomb
was opened in order that the catafalque
upon which his remains We're to be
placed beside those of his wife might be
prepared. The coffin in which Mrs.
Benoni's body lay when they closed the
tomb, some twenty-eight years ago. was
found to be open and empty. On search
ing the tomb they found near the portal
portions of a skeleton, and, clutching the
lock so firmly that they had to loose them
by force, skeleton fingers
Was Mr. Benoni afflicted with madness
or frifta1 with sacon1 cioht9- Cuctova